Hi guys,<br /><br />If you have a ten + year old outboard, and its been running in alot of silt or you got it second hand and don't really know where its been or what it was doing.. <br /><br />I have a suggestion.. take off your head water jacket covers and have a look inside.<br /><br />Today, I went to take out one of the water jacket bolts so i could add an external water temp sensor for the right bank...<br /><br />I snapped it.., then snapped two others as well.. by that stage I figured it just had to come off and use ezeouts to get all the broken threads..<br /><br />Anyway, by the time I got the cover off, I had snapped all but one of the bolts.. and once the cover was off. I discovered why.<br /><br />It would appear that the gasket between the head and the cover on this model. (see my nickname) covers the channels moulded into the jacket cover entirely, but not water tight..<br /><br />What happened to me is that silt and corrosion had built up between the gasket and the cover and was slowly pushing the gasket material into the main water channels.. I kid you not, the gasket was over 1/4 inch thick in the channels..<br /><br />This rubbish had built up such that all of the bolts were stuck in it.. and all of them snapped off about 6mm from the surface of the head. (luckly for me, I should be able to get them all out now.)<br /><br />Anyway, my suggestion is to take off the water jackets every 5 years or so.. and clean it out in there.. (perhaps replace bolts with new ones.. )<br /><br />Thats my suggestion anyway.. now for my question..<br /><br />Since I have the cover off anyway.. would it be acceptable to drill and thread the cover so that I can stick the temp sensor directly into the water jacket??? There is plenty of room in there. and it would not obstuct the flow very much..<br /><br />Just figured that that would be more accurate then the Z bracket on the head. (external but in hard contact with the head..)<br /><br />If its a bad idea, let me know so I don't do something stupid. 
<br /><br />Hope this post is of some use to someone...<br /><br />I am gonna pull the other banks cover off before I go out next... even though I do not need to get any bolts out.. if it is as obstucted as the left bank was.. it will only be amatter of time before the engine would cook...<br /><br />Hope like hell I can get those bolts out..<br /><br />I spent hours cleaning up the head face and bolt threads with a wire brush.. followed by ovencleaner. (got rid of the corrosion really well, but I didn't leave it on for long.. <br /><br />followed by metholated spirits (its a very thin liquid and gets in anywhere..)<br /><br />follows by alot of scrubbing.. the broken bolt shafts look like new now.. so all the cr@p is off them.. <br /><br />Tomorrow I will give then a good solid bang each with a hammer and centerpunch.. and see if they loosen up.. <br /><br />If not I will drill them and try to use an ezyout.<br /><br />Anyone have any other suggestions?? <br /><br />I have a tiny propane torch, and was thinking of trying alittle heat as well... but I do not want to make matters worse...<br /><br />regards<br /><br />Franki
<br /><br />Hope this post is of some use to someone...<br /><br />I am gonna pull the other banks cover off before I go out next... even though I do not need to get any bolts out.. if it is as obstucted as the left bank was.. it will only be amatter of time before the engine would cook...<br /><br />Hope like hell I can get those bolts out..<br /><br />I spent hours cleaning up the head face and bolt threads with a wire brush.. followed by ovencleaner. (got rid of the corrosion really well, but I didn't leave it on for long.. <br /><br />followed by metholated spirits (its a very thin liquid and gets in anywhere..)<br /><br />follows by alot of scrubbing.. the broken bolt shafts look like new now.. so all the cr@p is off them.. <br /><br />Tomorrow I will give then a good solid bang each with a hammer and centerpunch.. and see if they loosen up.. <br /><br />If not I will drill them and try to use an ezyout.<br /><br />Anyone have any other suggestions?? <br /><br />I have a tiny propane torch, and was thinking of trying alittle heat as well... but I do not want to make matters worse...<br /><br />regards<br /><br />Franki